Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods and systems for search and select user interfaces and more particularly to providing and using user interfaces for search and select forms on mobile devices.
On a traditional search and select user interface, such as may be used to define criteria for performing a search of a database or other repository of information, the user is presented with a number of search parameters, a method to perform the search and a method to select a value and return it to the calling form. For example, when performing a search, it is common to provide a user interface such as a web page including a form through which this user can enter a value for a given field as input to define a particular search criterion. Additionally, interface may allow for multiple values to be selected, removed, and stored, for a given field, to define another particular search criterion. Depending upon the data being search and/or the application through which the search is being conducted, the number of these different types of search select fields can extensive. For example, an enterprise application such as an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application can have a very large number of single-select and multi-select fields that can be presented and used to define a search for documents or other objects related to the application.
Mobile devices such as tablets and phones are increasingly being used to interact with such applications. On a mobile device, the reduced screen size and limited input methods require that applications interfaces are both space efficient and easy to control. However, typical search select forms, such as may be presented by a search feature of an enterprise application for example, can consume a large portion of a mobile screen. Additionally, the steps involved in selecting the values can be tedious on such a device. For mobile applications, the reduced screen size and limited input methods dictate that such controls be both compact and easy to use via touch. However, present approaches to providing and using search select interfaces on mobile devices have not adequately addressed these considerations. Rather, current approaches attempt to present the same interface typically presented in web page for rendering via a web browser without considering the confines of mobile display and input methods. Hence, there is a need for improved methods and systems for providing and using user interfaces for search and select forms on mobile devices.